


When You Give a Horse a Peppermint

by barbarosabee



Series: Fluffy oneshots [1]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Arthur Morgan and his trusty steed Calliope, Arthur Morgan has a nice day, Fluff, Gen, and Arthur being cute about his horse, just a horse being cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 06:16:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18543991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbarosabee/pseuds/barbarosabee
Summary: Arthur takes his freshly-tamed mustang out on a long ride for some bonding. Shenanigans ensue.





	When You Give a Horse a Peppermint

**Author's Note:**

> Arthur prefers mares and no one will ever convince me otherwise ok.

Arthur put his pencil down to take in the sight before him. Calliope flat on her back, all four legs kicking up in the air as she rolled around, just like the first time he’d seen her. 

Calliope had trotted off into the middle of the clearing as soon as Arthur slid the saddle from her back. Didn’t even wait for him to brush the crusted lather from her. Just trotted off and tried to get him to follow her. He’d decided to take her out for a hard ride, get her broken in more before the gang’s next big job, whenever that was going to happen. Took her up through Cumberland Forest, down across the Heartlands and along the wide western shore of Flatiron Lake and then back up the Dakota River.

Now Arthur was posted up against the saddle, journal on his knees as Calliope made an absolute fool of herself.

He whistled low to get her attention. She stopped her rolling and perked her head up. A clump of grass was caught between her ears and hung over her face like bangs. Arthur didn’t repress the laugh that spilled through his grin.

“Come here, you silly thing.”

Calliope pranced over, tried to toss the grass off her head. Seemed stuck fast. She lowered her head to Arthur, and he removed the grass and offered her a peppermint with his other hand. She greedily sucked it up, nibbled his fingers between her soft lips. Arthur pet along her blaze, a stab of fondness going deep through his chest. 

Calliope shoved her nose into his hand again, puffed air on his face.

“Think you’ve had enough for one day, girl.”

Calliope snorted. Stared at him with one big brown eye. Bumped her nose into his cheek, puffed more air into his face.

And then she snatched his new hat by the brim and dashed off with it.

Arthur tossed his journal atop his satchel, brushed grass from the seat of his pants as he stood. “Oh, gonna be like that again is it?”

Calliope tossed her head, stepping high as she trotted a circle around Arthur, just out of his reach. Shook her head so the hat bounced and hit her face, crumpled it a bit with the force.

Arthur lunged for the hat. Calliope danced away, took off towards the river. Arthur sprinted after her.

She crashed into the river, water spraying up every which way. Some of it splashed onto Arthur and he stopped on the edge of the riverbank. Calliope stood out in the middle, water up to her knees, shook the hat some more. The snakeskin band was coming loose. Shaping up to be the third hat she destroyed with this little game of hers.

Arthur put his hands on his hips and just stared at her, waiting. She stared back, neck arched and head high. Reared, small, just enough to splash more water at him when she came down on her front hooves. Arthur took a single step forward, and Calliope turned tail and crossed the rest of the river. The spot they were at was wide and shallow, Arthur could cross it no problem if he didn’t mind getting back to camp with soaked pants and waterlogged boots. Had done that, the first time she did this, before he learned better. Calliope had been entirely unfazed by the scolding when they had made camp for the night.

“Alright, well, see you later then.” Arthur waved at Calliope before turning his back to her and walking to his saddle. Spent some time munching on slices of salted beef, faced the cliff rather than the river. Rearranged things in his satchel, put the journal away. Sunset was a few hours off and he’d need to head back to camp soon.

He heard Calliope walk softly through the grass. Trying not to be heard. She thought she was sneaky; Arthur liked to let her believe it. Felt her warmth and bulk almost press against him.

The hat plopped into the grass near his feet. Brim crimped, snakeskin band loose, head sunk in like someone had sat on it. Calliope shoved her head under his arm, pressed the side of her head into his chest. Arthur pet along her neck, scratched right where she liked it.

“Had some time to think about it, huh girl?”

She wickered. Took the buttons of his shirt between her lips. Nudged into his chest harder until he stumbled a bit.

“Alright, alright. Good job bringing it back, at least.”

She’d lost the first hat she stole. Got spooked by a passing wagon and dropped it into the river just before a waterfall. The second had been dropped into his cook fire. Arthur had learned not to love his hats so much.

He dug out a peppermint, ran his fingers through her mane as she crunched it between her teeth.

Arthur took the time to brush her down, now that she seemed more settled. Finally ran all the extra energy out of her, built up from their prolonged stay in camp. Calliope dozed, one hind leg lifted, tail swishing. Arthur saddled her up as the sun started to tinge the world orange around them. Mounted up with a hearty pat to Calliope’s neck to get her good and awake.

“There’s a good girl.”

He walked her back to camp. Weren’t too far from it; she actually seemed to be dragging her feet, for once. Arthur hadn’t been able to tire her out all the way like this, before—she just had so  _ much  _ stamina. Almost didn’t have control of her whenever they reached a flat stretch of land and she could just let loose. Arthur hadn’t ridden a horse so fast and so sturdy in all his life.

Nor had he ever encountered such a mischievous little shit, but he’d never change that about her.

Arthur stopped to shoot two fat turkeys, kicked Calliope into a quick trot for the last stretch to camp. Lenny greeted him with a wave and a  _ welcome back! _ Arthur made quick work of removing Calliope’s saddle and leaving it on the hitching post. Had a hard time getting her to stay out of camp, usually, but her brown eyes were already closing when he offered her a bedtime oatcake. 

“You did good, girl.”

She whinnied, low, soft. He rubbed the front of her face and her eyes drifted all the way shut. That same fondness from earlier bore into his heart and something caught in the back of his throat.

Arthur coughed, picked up the turkeys, and hollered at Pearson to get ready for some fresh meat.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god I did it I wrote a one shot like I kept telling myself I would.


End file.
